Amah Mutsun Relearning Program
Cultivating Native Wisdom — for the future generations
Founded in 2009, the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program (AMRP) at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden is a collaborative effort to assist the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band (AMTB) in their efforts to revitalize their culture through the relearning of dormant cultural knowledge that pertains to traditional ecological knowledge, and stewardship and uses of native plants. The process of relearning for the Amah Mutsun consists of researching the notes of Smithsonian ethnographer John P. Harrington with tribal matriarch Ascencion Solorzano and other Mutsun tribal members, knowledge from surrounding California Indian tribes with similar cultures, and partnerships with western academics and environmental organizations.
The AMRP serves multiple purposes.
It took many years to develop the relationship of trust and respect that we have with the Amah Mutsun today. We did this by being respectful of their culture, history and knowledge, having open and honest communication, holding cultural information confidential when asked to do so, acknowledging and apologizing for our mistakes and learning from them, and showing up to follow through on the things we said we would do.
The AMRP unfolds in multiple ways. First, working from a plant list provided by the Amah Mutsun, plants are being established in our 40-acre California Conservation Gardens (CCG), where tribal members can relearn native plant identification, cultivation and stewardship practices, and gather culturally important native plants.
Second, through interpretation, guest lectures, tours, special projects, and educational events (“sussu Tuuhis-mak”, Mutsun for “Learn from Experience”), the AMRP educates UCSC students, school groups, organizations, and the general public about the history and contemporary goals of the AMTB, ethnobotany, and traditional ecological knowledge. We also assist with special projects and educational workshops for tribal members.
Third, when appropriate and in consultation with the Amah Mutsun, we work with faculty and researchers on projects pertaining to Indigenous knowledge, culturally important plants and ecosystems, and restoration.
The AMRP is more than just about plants and ecosystems. When we first started working with the tribe, one of our directives was to tell the truth. To tell the truth is to explain why there is a need for the Amah Mutsun to relearn and this speaks to the way colonization unfolded here along the Central Coast of California.
Want to get involved?
See ways to get involved directly with the Amah Mutsun Land Trust volunteer program. Or volunteer to help tend to the California Conservation Garden at the Arboretum.
Visit the UCSC Arboretum’s online donation form and in the box titled “Designation” click the X to see a list of ways to support the Arboretum and choose “Amah Mutsun Relearning Program: Arboretum”.
